article about Hellboy three-disc edition
07-27-04, 09:26 PM
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article about Hellboy three-disc edition
from today's USA Today...
Studios big on double features
For director Guillermo del Toro, a movie only gets better the second time around — or third.
The DVD of his Hellboy arrives in stores today (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, $29), a lavish two-disc affair packed with special features, including a two-hour "making of" documentary, computer-generated scene breakdowns, cast and creator commentaries and storyboard-to-film comparisons.
But just in time for Halloween, an even spiffier version arrives. It's a three-disc director's cut with 15 minutes of extra footage sliced from the theatrical release, as well as improved bonus materials. The first, del Toro says, "is for the fan of the movie; the second will be for the collector."
Hellboy grossed $59 million at the box office — not bad for an April release but no blockbuster. Its multiple-DVD treatment is an indication of a growing trend: Even middling successes are getting double-up DVD releases.
The most celebrated example of the multiple-release strategy is the enormously successful Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each year of the trilogy's release, a two-disc DVD came out in the spring, followed by a four-disc extended edition in time for holiday shopping.
Now that is becoming standard for smaller movies as well:
•MysticRiver, Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated drama, arrived on DVD June 8 from Warner Home Video, then came back with a three-disc special edition on July 13, complete with commentaries, cast and crew interviews, and the CD soundtrack.
•Demonlover, a thriller starring Connie Nielsen that had a limited release last fall, first hit DVD four months ago and gets a two-disc special-edition director's cut from Palm Pictures on Sept. 14.
•Club Dread, about a serial killer at an island resort, first arrived on DVD in June from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. A loaded version is on the way Sept. 28, with 15 minutes that were cut from the film version and 22 deleted scenes.
Says Fox's Steve Feldstein: "We had a lot of extra good material and decided to extend the life of the film into the fourth-quarter shopping season."
Universal Studios Home Video also revisits some of its DVDs, but for entirely different reasons. When the sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious (last summer) and The Bourne Supremacy (just out) hit the big screen, the studio released spruced-up DVDs of the originals with new bonus features. Both The Fast and the Furious Tricked-Out Edition and The Bourne Identity Explosive Extended Edition also came with a free movie ticket to the theatrical sequel.
"It just allows us to extend the life of the franchise," Universal president Craig Kornblau says.
There's another reason for the two-stage DVD release: time. With movies opening bigger and fading faster at the box office, the average window between a film's theatrical debut and DVD release has shrunk from the longtime norm of six months to as little as three months.
"With everybody racing DVDs out, that shaves the time we have to compile the added value," particularly if the director wants to re-edit the film, Columbia TriStar's Marc Rashba says.
As theatrical-to-video windows continue to tighten, doubling up probably will become more common, studio executives say.
For Columbia TriStar, the trial balloon was Underworld, a Gothic horror flick starring Kate Beckinsale. The studio released the original DVD in January, then came back with a deluxe edition, featuring an extended cut of the film and more bells and whistles, in May.
"Both retailers and consumers responded overwhelmingly, and this really solidified our interest in doing it again," Rashba says.
Del Toro was motivated by both vision and viewer. Hellboy's deluxe version will include not only more plot details, but also unusual bonus materials, such as a ROM feature that will allow fans to read and download the screenplay.
Says del Toro: It has "a lot of extras I felt would be really great to have as a collector. ... It's really loaded."
Studios big on double features
For director Guillermo del Toro, a movie only gets better the second time around — or third.
The DVD of his Hellboy arrives in stores today (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, $29), a lavish two-disc affair packed with special features, including a two-hour "making of" documentary, computer-generated scene breakdowns, cast and creator commentaries and storyboard-to-film comparisons.
But just in time for Halloween, an even spiffier version arrives. It's a three-disc director's cut with 15 minutes of extra footage sliced from the theatrical release, as well as improved bonus materials. The first, del Toro says, "is for the fan of the movie; the second will be for the collector."
Hellboy grossed $59 million at the box office — not bad for an April release but no blockbuster. Its multiple-DVD treatment is an indication of a growing trend: Even middling successes are getting double-up DVD releases.
The most celebrated example of the multiple-release strategy is the enormously successful Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each year of the trilogy's release, a two-disc DVD came out in the spring, followed by a four-disc extended edition in time for holiday shopping.
Now that is becoming standard for smaller movies as well:
•MysticRiver, Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated drama, arrived on DVD June 8 from Warner Home Video, then came back with a three-disc special edition on July 13, complete with commentaries, cast and crew interviews, and the CD soundtrack.
•Demonlover, a thriller starring Connie Nielsen that had a limited release last fall, first hit DVD four months ago and gets a two-disc special-edition director's cut from Palm Pictures on Sept. 14.
•Club Dread, about a serial killer at an island resort, first arrived on DVD in June from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. A loaded version is on the way Sept. 28, with 15 minutes that were cut from the film version and 22 deleted scenes.
Says Fox's Steve Feldstein: "We had a lot of extra good material and decided to extend the life of the film into the fourth-quarter shopping season."
Universal Studios Home Video also revisits some of its DVDs, but for entirely different reasons. When the sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious (last summer) and The Bourne Supremacy (just out) hit the big screen, the studio released spruced-up DVDs of the originals with new bonus features. Both The Fast and the Furious Tricked-Out Edition and The Bourne Identity Explosive Extended Edition also came with a free movie ticket to the theatrical sequel.
"It just allows us to extend the life of the franchise," Universal president Craig Kornblau says.
There's another reason for the two-stage DVD release: time. With movies opening bigger and fading faster at the box office, the average window between a film's theatrical debut and DVD release has shrunk from the longtime norm of six months to as little as three months.
"With everybody racing DVDs out, that shaves the time we have to compile the added value," particularly if the director wants to re-edit the film, Columbia TriStar's Marc Rashba says.
As theatrical-to-video windows continue to tighten, doubling up probably will become more common, studio executives say.
For Columbia TriStar, the trial balloon was Underworld, a Gothic horror flick starring Kate Beckinsale. The studio released the original DVD in January, then came back with a deluxe edition, featuring an extended cut of the film and more bells and whistles, in May.
"Both retailers and consumers responded overwhelmingly, and this really solidified our interest in doing it again," Rashba says.
Del Toro was motivated by both vision and viewer. Hellboy's deluxe version will include not only more plot details, but also unusual bonus materials, such as a ROM feature that will allow fans to read and download the screenplay.
Says del Toro: It has "a lot of extras I felt would be really great to have as a collector. ... It's really loaded."
07-27-04, 10:16 PM
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Glad to see Club Dread is getting a re-release. I held off on the first one when I heard rumors that a special edition was in the works.I have Hellboy coming from Netflix so if I enjoy it I will definitely get the 3-discer...
07-27-04, 10:24 PM
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I'd like to see more of this in the future. They gave people warning about Hellboy and LOTR set's. I have no prob with this I think they told people about LOTR even before the first movie was out. I own all the LOTR DVD's but I'll wait for the 3-disc for Hellboy. This is how you make everyone happy. The people who just want the movie can have it and the fans who want a huge DVD know they can wait and get it.
07-27-04, 11:55 PM
#8
I'll take the directors cut ONE-DISC version for $19.99, thank-you.
I don't need to know about all the fancy CG effects, as I have seen so many goddamn documentaries on them, I could puke.
And I am really getting tired of well, tired interviews with the guys who do the background work. They do great work, but as far as being interesting while sitting down in my chair, I'd rather listen to Pat Robertson. Keep them on a computer, and don't put them on DVD. Please? Pretty please?
I don't need to know about all the fancy CG effects, as I have seen so many goddamn documentaries on them, I could puke.
And I am really getting tired of well, tired interviews with the guys who do the background work. They do great work, but as far as being interesting while sitting down in my chair, I'd rather listen to Pat Robertson. Keep them on a computer, and don't put them on DVD. Please? Pretty please?
07-28-04, 01:54 AM
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Originally posted by DVD Polizei
I'll take the directors cut ONE-DISC version for $19.99, thank-you.
I don't need to know about all the fancy CG effects, as I have seen so many goddamn documentaries on them, I could puke.
I'll take the directors cut ONE-DISC version for $19.99, thank-you.
I don't need to know about all the fancy CG effects, as I have seen so many goddamn documentaries on them, I could puke.
There! Wasn't that easy? And if you think a bare-bones one-disc director's cut would automatically get a lower MSRP, then you don't know movie studios.
07-28-04, 03:44 AM
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I really hate this. I don't mind it when they studio is upfront about thier intentions.
Like with LOTR's New Line told us that a 'collector's edition' was on the way. It gave us the choice of waiting for buying with all the information.
When Mystic River came out, again we got all the info. so we could make a choice.
I don't mind this, what I mind is when they don't tell us what they're planning. That's trickery!
Sony hasn't said anything about the 3D Hellboy. We only know about it because we searched for info and shared it with eachother. As for Club Dread, I had no idea until now. If I had known I would have waited for the better edition. Point is they didn't mention anything and I thinking this was it bought it. That's not cool.
Bottom line America, movie studios should either tell us in advance what's going to happen or release both versions at the same time and let us choose with all the info.
Like with LOTR's New Line told us that a 'collector's edition' was on the way. It gave us the choice of waiting for buying with all the information.
When Mystic River came out, again we got all the info. so we could make a choice.
I don't mind this, what I mind is when they don't tell us what they're planning. That's trickery!
Sony hasn't said anything about the 3D Hellboy. We only know about it because we searched for info and shared it with eachother. As for Club Dread, I had no idea until now. If I had known I would have waited for the better edition. Point is they didn't mention anything and I thinking this was it bought it. That's not cool.
Bottom line America, movie studios should either tell us in advance what's going to happen or release both versions at the same time and let us choose with all the info.
07-28-04, 07:45 AM
#12
Duder,
I'll sell the other two discs on eBay.
eau,
Probably not. In other words, get ready for a FIVE-DISC HELLBOY HELLACIOUS SULFURIC DEMONIC SPECIAL DIRECTOR's EDITION, coming Spring 2005.
I'll sell the other two discs on eBay.
eau,
Probably not. In other words, get ready for a FIVE-DISC HELLBOY HELLACIOUS SULFURIC DEMONIC SPECIAL DIRECTOR's EDITION, coming Spring 2005.
07-28-04, 08:43 AM
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ok, I'm a little confused now...
the 2-disc SE is out now, the director's cut is coming in October - dvddebate.com said it would be a 1-disc edition, now it's a 3-disc? or will both versions of the DC be released?
the 2-disc SE is out now, the director's cut is coming in October - dvddebate.com said it would be a 1-disc edition, now it's a 3-disc? or will both versions of the DC be released?
07-28-04, 10:56 AM
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Originally posted by custom001
ok, I'm a little confused now...
the 2-disc SE is out now, the director's cut is coming in October - dvddebate.com said it would be a 1-disc edition, now it's a 3-disc? or will both versions of the DC be released?
ok, I'm a little confused now...
the 2-disc SE is out now, the director's cut is coming in October - dvddebate.com said it would be a 1-disc edition, now it's a 3-disc? or will both versions of the DC be released?
07-28-04, 01:16 PM
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Originally posted by eau
Will Hellboy 3-disc carry over the extras from the 2-disc version?
Will Hellboy 3-disc carry over the extras from the 2-disc version?
07-29-04, 07:08 PM
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I really think this whole thing about the 3-disc set and 2-disc set needs to be cleared up.
I keep hearing conflicting info on whether the extras on the 2-disc set will be carried over to the 3disc set. Does anyone have an official word on this?
I went ahead and picked the 2disc set up btw. I can't imagine what other extras they could possibly have for this movie.
I keep hearing conflicting info on whether the extras on the 2-disc set will be carried over to the 3disc set. Does anyone have an official word on this?
I went ahead and picked the 2disc set up btw. I can't imagine what other extras they could possibly have for this movie.
07-31-04, 08:14 PM
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Research titles before buying DVD's
Hellboy - The director always said that an extended version will hit DVD before the movie was shown in the States, and recently he mention a Superbit will hit DVD around the same time as the Director's Cut.
When Resident Evil was coming to DVD a couple of years ago, the director mention a special edition would come out later, unfortunately it took a lot longer then it should.
Underworld was mention before the first DVD came out in a forum, I waited and told many of my friends to wait too. I always read forums before picking up DVD's these days to stop disappointments with new and better DVD's one or two months later.
...BMatt
When Resident Evil was coming to DVD a couple of years ago, the director mention a special edition would come out later, unfortunately it took a lot longer then it should.
Underworld was mention before the first DVD came out in a forum, I waited and told many of my friends to wait too. I always read forums before picking up DVD's these days to stop disappointments with new and better DVD's one or two months later.
...BMatt
07-31-04, 10:25 PM
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As theatrical-to-video windows continue to tighten, doubling up probably will become more common, studio executives say.